Which hums for a ash body jaguar

taylor

New member
Hi all first post here and some recommendations needed. What humbuckers would you say would bring out the best in an ash body jaguar HH? It has a scooped-mid, percussive attack and a somewhat flubby low end which I believe is due to the 24" scale length and the ash body. Would like to preserve that attack and balance the tone
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

Hard to say without a bit more information. I could see anything from a '59 set to a PATB-1 set working, depending on your playing style and the exact behavior of the guitar.

How does the bass balance out with the highs? If it's on the thin side, I'd definitely look at the PATB line, they're meant to thicken up a thin superstrat, beefing it up to sound more like a Les Paul.

My Ibanez RG570 had rather flubby low mids, PATB-1b did wonderful things for it. But it was also a bit congested & midrangy before I got the PATB-1 (now it's nicely balanced). I've heard plenty of people liking PATB-1s in alder, but can't recall any in ash. Or 24" scale.

What sort of neck & fretboard woods, and is it a bolt-on with the old jag vibrato bridge?
 
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Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

Much depends upon how simple or complex your wiring is going to be.

The SD Custom would be a ripping good bridge/treble pickup. In a guitar with a natural mid scoop from the tonewoods, something like a PAF or a Pearly Gates would go nicely in the neck/rhythm position.

If you want jangle, some of the TV Jones Gretsch-inspired pickups might be the answer.
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

it has the traditional jag vibrato. bolt-on rosewood neck..the wiring is kept simple. 3 way switch, single vol and tone knob. its currently fitted with a 59b in the neck and a gibson 496 (with A5 mag) in the bridge. it was all i had at the time. I use this guitar whenever i want to be more creative...everytime i pick up my strat my playing will gravitate towards hendrix or srv...
 
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Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

Rosewood neck, those aren't common... Or do you mean maple neck & rosewood fretboard?

Rosewood necks tend to be pretty mellow, even dark sometimes.

Some other things that might help nail down pickup choice are effects/amp/speakers you use with it, and what sort of music you want to play with it. (Style, artists, tonal tastes all helpful)
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

woops i meant rosewood fretboard. i play in alt and classic rock/pop music, using a jazz chorus on stage.
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

A2 pickups tend to help with the mids and mellow out the brightness a bit, but may worsen the problems with the lows. Or may fix it. Very hard to predict exactly how they'll mesh, especially in an unfamiliar design.

If you like early David Lee Roth-era Van Halen, the '78 or (for later stuff) Custom Custom/Fender pickups may work for you.

Is the '59b in the neck too thick, lacking in mids, too loose, or all of the above?

The Jazz Chorus can be tricky to make work with humbuckers, I've known people to use pretty bright setups into them and get some pretty interesting sounds, but it's pretty unforgiving to harsh pickups.

Funkfingers' suggestion of a TVJones FilterTron might be a good choice, good combination of twang & jangle without hum.

P-90s might also be a good choice.
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

FWIW I have a HH Jaguar and I use Phat Cats (humbucker sized P90's) and absolutely love them! May be worth a try
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

Despair - the 59b is (overpowering) loud and clear in the neck position. strangely it sounds pretty good but too much low end. Thanks for the replies i think ill try out the p90s or TV jones, seems like that might be the way to go.

Funkfingers - i've heard nothing but good reviews about the mean90s but dont really like how the pickups look. yes im shallow. might try them out too, sounds like a better option than getting new pickguard for traditional p90s.
 
Re: Which hums for a ash body jaguar

You might try the '59b in the bridge position, if it's just too loud. Neck position is naturally fatter and higher output...

Another thing you can try is nab some 0.5" screws (I usually use allen/hex screws for this, as they have a slightly different sound) and replace the screw poles under the wound strings, which will make the bass strings less flubby and slightly brighter, both helping articulation tremendously. I prefer the 0.75" fillisters under the bare/high strings as they sound sweeter that way, but you can replace those as well, for more articulation if it's needed. It's an easy to reverse mod, worth experimenting with.

You can of course use both tricks, if the '59b is too bassy in the bridge position.
 
Which hums for a ash body jaguar

Hi all, should the option come up to visit another island and both were on offer which one is better for romance and better jwvs ?
 
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